The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Separation, Sweet Stories, and Apprenticeship

“Even so, with this much sweetness, it means a considerable amount of sugar is used, right? From just the new addition to the large kiln and the look inside the lord’s residence, I thought it was quite wealthy, but to obtain this much sugar in the North would require not only a substantial amount of money but also significant connections, wouldn’t it?”

Although Julius is very out of touch with the world, he seems to understand that sugar is expensive and particularly difficult to obtain in the North.

That said, I wonder if, with a convenient technique like separation, sugar would be more widespread.

Sugar is primarily refined from sugarcane and beets, but there are several other naturally occurring sweet substances. Since sugar itself exists, it seems unlikely that there haven’t been attempts to extract sugar from these other sources.

“Lord Julius, isn’t it possible to make sugar with separation?”

“It’s a field many alchemists have tried, but I haven’t heard of any successful attempts so far. In the first place, defining what sugar is remains difficult. Fruits are sweet, or unfermented wort for ale is sweet, so it’s possible to hypothesize that they contain something similar to sugar. While you can boil wort to make malt syrup, no matter how sweet you make it, turning it into ‘sugar’ is challenging. Even with attempts at ‘separation,’ it only removes moisture, and unlike the salt left behind from saltwater, no sugar remains.”

“Oh, so malt syrup does exist.”

“It’s less sweet compared to sugar, and consuming it in large quantities can cause stomach issues, so nobles and the elite tend to avoid it. Alchemists might occasionally enjoy a small amount.”

“I see…”

Malt syrup is difficult to digest and crystallize. Consuming it in large amounts can cause diarrhea.

And in this world, having stomach issues is quite a serious matter.

—Diarrhea from malt syrup and food poisoning are entirely different, but there’s no distinguishing between them.

In the country where I lived in my previous life, malt syrup had been enjoyed since quite ancient times — it was affectionately called ‘cold syrup’ in the era I lived in.
In this world, water is not necessarily safe. Due to very low awareness of hygiene, water often mediates the spread of diseases like dysentery and typhus. It is common for even commoner children to drink ale made from wort that has been boiled once instead of water.

In my previous life, the abundance of clean, safe water allowed people to enjoy such surpluses. This is hinted at by expressions like “using something as freely as water.”

“Appraisal also doesn’t list sugar. So, according to alchemy, the sweetness of fruits and wort must be something different from sugar.”

The sugars contained in fruits are fructose, while wort—made from dried and crushed germinated barley—is maltose. These are indeed different from sucrose.

—But fructose, maltose, and sucrose should have almost identical molecular formulas.

If one of them can be separated, then it might be possible to separate sugars from fruits or wort.

“Separation requires a detailed image of what is being separated. To begin with, we only have a vague knowledge that sugar is made from sugarcane. When separating saltwater into water and salt, it’s easier to envision water than salt, which is why water is separated. Since I also have the water magic attribute, it’s even more so.”

In the Kingdom of Francesca, there are no territories that produce sugar. Sugar is imported from the Romana Republic, which borders the southern part of the kingdom.

There are rumors that sugar is made from a plant called sugarcane, but since few have seen the actual product, it’s possible that the entire cultivation area is sealed off for production.

“Lady, do you perhaps have any ideas about separating sugar?”

“No, I think it’s impossible for me to use separation to refine sugar. Even if it were possible, the layer of magical power is so small that the amount of sugar obtained would likely be insignificant.”

“If the technology is established, I don’t think it matters if it’s you or not. I could try it myself.”

Although Julius seems enthusiastic, after hearing that he needs long periods of sleep due to his excessive magical power, I’m not inclined to try it.

“After experiencing magical poisoning, I can’t imagine going through something like that again. I don’t want to suffer such pain, nor do I want others to. I’d rather prioritize the development of a technology that produces the same results regardless of one’s magical power.”

“You truly are kind, Lady. If ‘separation’ for sugar were possible, it would be worth more than a fortune.”

“Hiring a mage is expensive, and if a technology that doesn’t rely on magic or sorcery were established, it would significantly reduce labor costs. For long-term commercial expansion, it could lead to enormous profits. Don’t you think that’s even more desirable?”

Having calmed down a bit after consuming some sugar, Julius’s tone has slowed, and he’s laughing while making another cup of warm tea.

“By the way, since you collapsed from magical poisoning, it seems synthesis must have activated even if it was incomplete. What were you trying to create?”

“Well, I was imagining something like carbonated water.”

Julius tilts his head in curiosity, as the term carbonation, which refers to the dissolution of carbon dioxide in water, does not exist at this point. Although it’s generally known that ales and ciders are fizzy and have a stimulating effect when drunk, there’s no specific term for it.

Since we’re in the kitchen, I pour some ale from the lord’s residence into a cup and hand it to Julius.

In this world, ale is not particularly special; it’s something that women in households typically make as a side task.

There are methods that either filter it roughly or not at all, resulting in something akin to sweet sake or doburoku* from my previous life.

*Doburoku is an unfiltered sake

Compared to those, the ale made by Melfina is less cloudy and has a clearer taste.

There are several types of ale produced at the lord’s residence, but broadly speaking, they are either made by selecting yeast and adding hops to filtered wort, or a special ale fermented in barrels lined with pure silver mithril.

The latter is produced in limited quantities and cannot be distributed outside the residence, mainly used for domestic consumption. It retains carbon dioxide better, making it considerably more stimulating than the ale found in this world.

Julius also looked puzzled as to why ale was suddenly the topic, but after taking a sip, his eyes quickly changed expression.

“Lady, this is—!”

“You mentioned that you had tasted the ale delivered to the ducal family, but here at the lord’s residence, we’ve been actively producing ale to refine its flavor. Eventually, I noticed something strange happening near the ale barrels.”

“What is this strange phenomenon, Lady?”

His eagerness to hear more was palpable.

“Near the fermentation barrels, the flames of candles go out. The closer the candle is to the barrel, and the closer it is to the floor, the more it happens, even without any wind.”

“So, there’s something near the barrels that extinguishes flames… no, something that fuels the fire is not near the barrels?”

Julius quickly arrived at the answer, surprising Melfina. Though Julius frequently praised Melfina’s intuition, he himself was a very systematic and thoughtful alchemist.

“Candles burn because of the wax and the wick, but it’s known that if you enclose a candle in a glass container, the flame goes out. This suggests that fire isn’t fueled only by wax and wick but also by air. The idea is that something invisible in the air is actually fueling the fire, and there is less or none of this substance near the ale barrels.”

“…I’m amazed, Lord Julius. Do all mages in ivory towers have such keen insights?”

“I’m pleased by the praise, but the idea that air has multiple roles or components is something many alchemists have studied in the past. When you boil water, the water itself disappears, but does it disappear entirely, or does it turn into air? If water turns into air, then is the water falling from the sky the same air? And if it disappears when heated, could it become water again when cooled?”

“Distillation also came from that line of thought, didn’t it?”

“Yes, alchemists are always pondering such ideas and experimenting endlessly. But near the ale barrels, flames are extinguished?”

Julius gazed at the cup of ale, shifted his gaze to the ale barrel, took another sip of the ale, and appeared to be deep in thought.

The ale I gave him was the most special one in the lord’s residence, a carbonated drink stronger than any ale in circulation.

“The effervescence of ale diminishes and eventually disappears if left to sit. I vaguely thought that something was generated during the fermentation of the ale, that it leaked into the air, and that this might be what extinguishes the flame. And if we could completely seal the ale, it would stay within it.”

“So, this ale was made with that idea and succeeded?”

“Yes. And I thought that if we could reverse the process and put that ‘something’ into water, the water would also become fizzy. I considered that this ‘something’ might be produced by reversing the separation process.”

“I see. If the ‘something’ leaks from the ale and mixes with the air, it’s natural to think that it mixes more easily with the air than with the ale. Therefore, it’s likely that this something is still present in the air, and it might be possible to ‘separate’ it. Whether it can be separated can be confirmed if it can make water fizzy like ale.”

Julius quickly articulated the vague explanation.

Melfina, with her previous life’s memories and vast knowledge, can come up with such ideas.

But Julius, after all, was born and learned in this world.

— Genius must be someone like this.

“However, synthesis, is it? That’s a fascinating perspective. The first step in research is the idea itself, which accounts for ninety percent of the whole. Lady, you are truly remarkable. Perhaps everyone who wants to become a top alchemist should become your apprentice.”

“That’s unreasonable. After all, I’m just a lord.”

“Even if it’s not possible for all alchemists, wouldn’t it be fine if it’s just me?”

“Don’t joke.”

I tried to laugh it off, but Julius, in these moments, removed his usual grin and stared intently at Melfina with his golden eyes.

“I’m serious, Lady. Your wisdom and creativity are irreplaceable talents.”

“…Then, how about we teach each other? I’ve learned ‘separation’ from you, so if you need any knowledge, I’ll share what I know. I’ve had enough of collapsing like this, so I’d like to experiment with the proper use of magic going forward, and I was thinking you could assist with that.”

“Collaborative researchers, then! Of course, that’s exactly what I’d want!”

Seeing Julius’s usual cheerful smile return, Melfina felt a sense of relief.

Thus, they ended up making a secret pact in the dead of night.

Julius was truly unpredictable. Perhaps the best approach would be to keep his curiosity stimulated and let him immerse himself in research.

— Somehow, it feels like I’m sinking deeper and deeper into this.

It feels like everything has turned into a situation that wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Every time, it’s a rather troublesome issue for Melfina.